Combination vise and clamp



Oct. 30, 1962 w. M. DENNIS Q 3,061,302

COMBINATION VISE AND CLAMP Filed June 12, 1959 INVENTOR a dmzawv UnitedStates Patent 3,061,302 COMBINATION VISE AND CLAMP William Mark Dennis,1901 Stone St., Falls City, Nebr. Filed June 12, 1959, Ser. No. 820,0663 Claims. (Cl. 269-9) This invention relates to tools and moreparticularly to a combination vise and clamp which may be utilized for awide variety of operations.

The combination vise and clamp of this invention may be permanentlymounted on a bench or other support to be utilized for the normalfunctions of a vise and also in this position may be utilized as a clampfor securing parts together under pressure and which is so designed asto accommodate a wide range of sizes. The tool of this invention mayalso be utilized as a portable tool, that is the same need not besecured to a sup port and the tool may be utilized in this condition asa clamp for various objects of a wide range of sizes and furthermore,the tool may be utilized for wire stretching or similar functions whichserve to provide a very versatile tool having a wide variety of uses.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a combinationvise and clamp which may be permanently installed on a suitable supportor utilized as a portable tool to perform a wide variety of clampingfunctions accommodating a wide variety of sizes and which may be alsoutilized in the manner of a conventional vise.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combination viseand clamp which may be conveniently adapted for use in wire stretchingor similar operations and is particularly adapted for use in stretchingfence wires.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of acombination vise and clamp which may be conveniently and economicallymanufactured from readily available light-weight materials and which maybe of a size and shape to require a minimum of space and at the sametime, provide adequate strength and clamping power, as well as wideutility.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a combination vise and clamp constructed inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 a side elevational view of the vise shown in FIG. 1 with partsbroken away for greater clarity and showing in dotted outline an objectclamped between jaws of the tool when using the same in the manner of aconventional vise;

FIG. 3 a side elevational view of the combination vise and clamp andshowing an elongated extension member mounted thereon for accommodatingan abutment, which abutment cooperates with a movable jaw to clamp anobject shown in dotted outline, the abutment also being adjustable onthe extension member; and

FIG. 4 a fragmentary side elevational view showing the manner ofadapting the tool of this invention for use in stretching wire andfurther showing in dotted outline a post, together with a post-engagingfoot mounted on the tool.

With continued reference to the drawing and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2,there is shown a combination vise and clamp constructed in accordancewith this invention, together with the use of the same as a vise and inwhich the tool may well comprise spaced parallel side bars and 11 formedof angle iron and providing a base for the tool and if desired, the sidebars 10 and 11 may be provided with apertures 12 for receiving suitablefastening means to secure the tool to a suitable support. An end plate13 may be fixed to one end of the side bars 10 and 7 3,06 1,3 02Patented Oct.- 30, 1962 11 by welding or any other suitable means andthe end plate 13 projects laterally above the side bars 10 and 11 asshown in FIG. 2, and may, if desired, be provided with a base plate 14to provide a fixed jaw. A second end plate 15 is fixed to the oppositeends of the side bars 10 and 11 by welding or any other suitable meansand it is to be noted from an inspection of FIG. 2, that the end plate15 terminates at the upper edge in alignment with the upper edges of theflanges 16 and 17 of the side bars 10 and 11.

A screw threaded shaft 18 is disposed between the flanges 16 and 17 ofthe side bars 10 and 11 and is rotatably mounted in the end plates 13and 15. The shaft 18 extends through the end plate 13' and the outwardlyprojecting end 19 of the shaft 18 serves to receive an actuating meansin the form of a bar or crank 20 and the actuating means 20* may beadjusted to provide variable leverage and may be secured in adjustedposition by a set screw 21 threadedly received in the projecting end 19of the screw threaded shaft 18. If desired, however, the set screw 21may be dispensed with and the actuating means 20 merely slidable in anaperture in the projecting end 19 of the shaft 18 in a manner which isconventional in vise structures. Also the projecting end 19 of the shaft18 may, if desired, be provided with other types of actuating means,such as a wrench receiving portion, not shown.

A movable jaw 22 is slidably mounted between the flanges 16 and 17 ofthe side bars 10 and 11 and the jaw 22 is provided with a downwardlyprojecting portion 23 having a threaded aperture 24 therein whichprovides a nut threadedly engaging the threaded shaft 18. The movablejaw 22 is provided with a plate 25 serving to provide a jaw faceopposite the jaw face on the plate 14 of the end plate 13 and in the useof the tool as a vise as shown in FIG. 2 in dotted outline, an object 26may be engaged between the plates 14 and 25 and tightly clampedtherebetween by operation of the screw threaded shaft 18 to move the jaw22 toward the end plate 13. a

The end plate 15 may be provided with an extension mounting means in theform of a projection 27 having an aperture 28 in the outer end thereofand if desired, the aperture 28 may be screw threaded to removablyreceive the screw threaded end of an elongated extension member 29. Ifdesired, however, the screw threads 28 may be dispensed with and theelongated extension member 29 merely positioned in the aperture in themounting means 27 or secured thereto in any other desired manner. Theextension member 29 may be a pipe or other suitable tubular member ofany desired length and serves to adapt the tool for accommodatingobjects of a wide variety of sizes. 7

Slidably mounted on the elongated extension member 29 is an abutment 310which may be adjustably secured on the extension member 29 by a setscrew 31 or other suitable means and the abutment 30 may be providedwith a jaw face 32 which is positioned opposite a jaw face 33 providedon the movable jaw 22.

When it is desired to utilize the tool of this invention as a clamp, itis only necessary to provide an elongated extension member 29 of thedesired length and to position the abutment 30 thereon at the desiredlocation, whereupon an object to be clamped as shown at 34 in dottedoutline in FIG. 3, may be positioned between the jaw face 32 on theabutment 30 and the jaw face 33 on the movable 22 and upon operation ofthe threaded shaft 18, the jaw 22 moves toward the abutment 30 to clampthe object 34 therebetween. This operation may be performed with thetool secured to a bench or other support or the tool may be utilized asa portable device and applied to the work to be clamped.

The tool of this invention may also be utilized to stretch wire, such asis utilized in erecting fences and as shown in FIG. 4, in order to adaptthe tool for this operation, it is only necessary to substitute asuitable post engaging or other foot 35 for the abutment 30 on theelongated extension member 29 and the foot 35 would normally bepositioned on the outer end of the extension member 29 and would engagea post or other abutment as shown in dotted outline at 36 in FIG. 4. Aconventional wire gripping means 37 may be secured in any desired maneras by a screw threaded stud 38 to the movable jaw 22 and as clearlyshown in FIG. 4, the gripping means 37 serves to engage and grip a wire39* and upon operation of thescrew threaded shaft 18 to move the movablejaw 22 in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 4, the wire 39will be stretched and the reaction force will be applied to the post 36through the post-engaging foot 35.

It will be seen that by the above described invention, there has beenprovided a very simple, yet highly versatile combination vise and clampwhich upon operation and movement of the movable jaw 22 in the directionof the arrow shown in FIG. 2, serves to operate as a vise and uponmovement of the movable jaw 22 in the direction of the arow as shown inFIG. 3 and in cooperation with the abutment 30 on the extension member29 serves to operate as a clamp. Since the tool is also capable of wirestretching operations as shown in FIG. 4, obviously, the single tool ofthis invention is capable of a wide variety of operations and provides atool highly useful in the home workshop or in commercial establishments.The tool may be constructed of suitable lightweight alloys which provideadequate strength combined with light weight and in view of theprovision of the extension member which may be of any desired length,the range of sizes accommodated by the tool is substantially infinite.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination tool comprising spaced parallel side bars formed ofangle irons and providing a base for said tool, an end plate fixed toone end of said side bars and projecting laterally therefrom atsubstantially right angles to provide a fixed jaw, a second end platefixed to the opposite end of said side bars, a screw threaded shaftrotatably mounted in said end plates and disposed between said sidebars, one end of said shaft projecting outwardly of said first endplate, an actuating means on the projecting end of said shaft, a movablejaw slidably mounted on said side bars and having a nut threadedlyengaging said shaft, a jaw face on said movable jaw opposite said fixedjaw, an extension mounting means fixed to said second end plate inalignment with said shaft, a separate elongated extension memberremovably received in said extension mounting means and projectingoutwardly of said second end plate, an abutment carried by said memberoutwardly of said second end plate and work engaging means on saidmovable jaw cooperating with said abutment.

2. A combination tool as defined in claim 1, in which said abutment isadjustably received on said member and is provided with a second jawface, and in which said work engaging means comprises a third jaw faceon said movable jaw opposing said second jaw face.

3. A combination tool as defined in claim 1 in which said abutmentcomprises a post engaging foot, and in which said work engaging meanscomprises a wire gripping clamp.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 72,921Shellenbock Dec. 31, 1867 169,516 Brainard Nov. 2, 1875 287,271 GladwinOct. 23, 1883 800,685 Scoggins Oct. 3, 1905 938,488 Hopkins Nov. 2, 19091,009,609 Wenneborg Nov. 21, 1911 1,204,168 Lindsey Nov. 7, 19161,278,419 Bader Sept. 10, 1918 1,313,256 Cannon Aug. 19, 1919 1,783,713Holman Dec. 2, 1930 2,645,143 Larson July 14, 1953 2,662,433 Braun Dec.15, 1953 2,672,775 Koski Mar. 23, 1954 2,884,225 Ford Apr. 28, 1959FOREIGN PATENTS 356,219 Germany July 18, 1922 672,958 Great Britain May28, 1952

